Rescue workers and firefighters search for victims in the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Taipei as rescue operations continue and workers search for victims of this century's second most deadly earthquake.
A total of 129 aftershocks have been recorded as of noon Sunday after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Taiwan Saturday at 9:02 p.m., the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said.
Kuo Kai-wen, director of CWB's Seismology Center, said the strong quake and later aftershocks are normal seismic energy release, and he urged the public "to be on guard" but said there was no need to panic.
Kuo said Saturday's quake, whose epicenter was 25.5 kilometers southeast of Hualien City off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan, resulted from friction between the Eurasian Plate and Philippine plate, which converge off Taiwan's east coast.
Because it struck at a depth of 45.9 kilometers, its impact was less than if it had been shallower, Kuo said, but he expected seismic energy to continue to be released.
"It is estimated that there will be aftershocks with magnitudes of less than 6.8 in the next few days," Kuo said.
Kuo also said that compared with the more than 1,000 aftershocks that occurred within 24 hours after a magnitude 7.3 temblor hit Taiwan on Sept. 21, 1999, the aftershocks after Saturday's quake were relatively mild.
Eleven people suffered minor injuries in Hualien, and other minor damage was reported elsewhere after Saturday's quake.
Yuching Bridge in northern Taiwan's Miaoli City was sealed off for inspection Sunday after its expansion joint opened wider because of the earthquake.
The Miaoli County government said the bridge poses no immediate danger, but it decided to close out of safety considerations.
Among the 11 injured in Hualien Saturday, 10 were tourists at a Hualien City hotel whose discomfort may have been caused by chlorine leaking from a pipe that ruptured during the earthquake.
The other injured person, a 16-year-old boy, was hit by a falling rock in Siulin Township, Hualien County.
Provincial Highway 11 was disrupted by landslides at its 40 kilometer marker, but the road was later cleared and traffic returned to normal.
Also, some 9,000 households were left without electricity after the Rueisuei transformer station in Hualien County's Kuangfu Township broke down, but power has since been restored in the area.
Some parts of Taiwan were hit by a severe Earthquake on Saturday. Local TV channels showed footages of the damages caused by the calamity. U.S. Geological Survey found out the magnitude of the quake was around 6.4. There was an aftershock that had the magnitude of 4.8. Taiwan is located in a quake prone region. 10 years back, the place was hit by one of its worst quakes. It had a magnitude of 7.6 and took the life of 2,400 people as per the record. However, the recent quake is not likely to bring a Tsunami- the geologists have said. The after effect of the situation can be ascertained only after some days.
The tremor was felt quite well by the residents and those living in high rises could feel the floors shaking beneath their feet. Four people got injured after debris fell on them but no casualty has been reported so far. As a result of the quake, rail services were suspended in Taiwan. As one can expect, the quake created panic among the residents and worried relatives started calling up others.
The buildings started shaking and those inside, could feel the tremors for quite some time. Minor property damage was reported from some places, including a hotel. However, none of the reports were alarming enough.
There have been many instances of quakes in Taiwan but none of them were as dangerous as the one that hit the place in 1999. To cope with the quakes and tremors, the weather department in Taiwan uses sophisticated equipment that can sense such events some time in advance.
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